Hyundai (Supernal)

Supernal is Hyundai Motor Group's Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle along with the ground-to-air ecosystem to support the emerging industry. Hyundai renamed its urban air mobility division to Supernal in November 2021, and the company operates offices in Washington, D.C., Fremont, California, and Irvine, California. Jaiwon Shin serves as president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal.

The company's flagship concept is the S-A2 eVTOL aircraft, unveiled at CES 2024 and built on the earlier S-A1 concept. Designed to host one pilot and four passengers, the S-A2 synthesizes Hyundai's aerospace engineering and automotive design to provide a new urban transport mode, intended to travel over 190 km/h at altitudes exceeding 450 meters across journeys of 40 to 65 km. Supernal's core advantage is its parent group's industrial base, leveraging automotive high-rate manufacturing alongside aerospace certification standards.

Supernal had shared a path toward commercial flights in 2028, with prototype testing of the S-A2 slated for 2026 and a full-scale technology demonstrator flying before then. However, the program has faced a setback: Hyundai is attempting to restart its AAM efforts after signing a memorandum of understanding with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to jointly develop future aircraft — an agreement that came about eight months after Supernal paused development amid uncertainty over the company's direction.

As a company at the center of next-generation air mobility, Supernal sits squarely in a space where innovation in eVTOL design, certification, and manufacturing is directly relevant. (Note: the eVTOL program was reportedly paused and is being restructured around the KAI partnership; current operational status and the 2028 timeline should be verified before relying on forward-looking claims.)